Open-top refrigerated display case



H. W. HARDlN OPEN TOP REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Aug. 24, 194s.

Filed March 17, 1947 UUUUU Umm l Halbarm/Hardw,

5 Sheots-Sheet 1 Aug. 24, 1948. H. w. HARDIN @PEN TOP REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Filed March 17, 1947 3 Sheetsf-Sheet 2 A118- 24, 1948. H. w. HARDIN OPEN TOP REFRIGERTED DISPLAY CASE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 17, 1947 Ulf ` l 3mm,

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kPatent-ed Aug. 24, 1948 OPEN-TOP REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Hubert W. Hardin, San Antonio, Tex., assigner to Ed Friedrich, Inc., San Antonio, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application March 17, 1947, Serial No. 735,082

My invention relates to display refrigerators which are particularly useful for keeping articles of merchandise in a refrigerated condition and at the same time permit ready and free access to such merchandise by the customer.

Objects of the invention are, (1) to provide a' refrigerator in which packaged frozen foods may be stored in full View of the customer through a transparent front wall. the packaged goods being well located below the top of the front wall in what may be termed a dead air chamber, (2) to provide a novel refrigerating coil unit which also serves as a partitioned receptacle for the packaged goods, (3) to provide means for effecting. a layer of more or less quiescent cool air above the contents of the said receptacle, (4) and in general to provide an improved refrigerator of the type stated which will beAneat and artistic in appearance as well as efficiently useful in the performance of its function.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part become apparent hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends invention further resides in the novel details of construction, combinations and arrangement of parts all of which will rst be fully described and then be4 specifically pointed out in 9 Claims. (Cl. (i2-89.6)

over insulation and present a similar cross-section to the back wall.

Within the food space of the case is located a combined plate coil cooling and food receptacle unit which is composed of a bottom, ends, a back Wall and a front wall as will hereinafter more fully appear; the over-all height of this unit, when in place in-the case, is less than the height of the front wall and window of the same.

Adjacent the top of said unit and extending from the back wall of the case but terminating short of the front wall thereof is a semi-ceiling the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross section of a refrigerator embodying my invention, the section of the plate coil unit being taken on the line I-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective View of the plate-coil-food-receptacle unit.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective section of a portion of my invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section on the line -t of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view later again referred to.

In the drawing in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, I represents the base of the refrigerator case, 2 the sub-floor on which is laid a layer or layers of insulation 3. The framing of the case is indicated by II. v

The front wall comprises the insulation 4, the metal facing 1, window frame and sheathing 5, and the window panes E.

The back wall of the cabinet includes the insulation B and metal facing 9. The side or end walls I0 are likewise formed of metal sheathing composed of insulation I4 and a fiber board sheathing I5, supported by an adjacent portion of the frame II of the case. At the front of the 'semi-ceiling I4, I6 is an upstanding wall, formed of insulationA I2 and a metal facing I3, that extends upwardly above the level of the window frame 5. Above the wall I3 is a forwardly upwardly inclined mirror 35 and a light well 38 containing a fluorescent tube 39. In back of the mirror is a dead air space bounded in back and on top by ber boards 36 and behind that space is a storage chamber S open at the back as at 31, the top of the storage space being covered by a metal sheathing 40.

The combined unit hereinbefore mentioned consists of a bottom plate I1, two end plate coils composed of an outer plate I9 and an inner plate 2D suitably embossed to provide refrigerant circulating passages 28 and top and bottom headers 21, similarly constructed partition plate coils 2l, a front plate 30 of a height to reach the bottom of the window of the case when the unit is in place, and a back wall IB of a height greater than that of the end and intermediate plate coils and extending approximately to the ceiling I4, I5. The end and intermediate plate coils have flanges 25 and 22 respectively by means of which and spot welding w the plate coils are united to the back and front plates I8 and 30. The end coil plates and the front and back walls also have anges 23, which are seam welded to the bottom plate I1 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5), corner pieces 24 being gas welded, between the anges 23, to the plate I1 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

26 indicates the liquid line connecting the lower headers 21 of the several plate coils,A while 29 indicates the suction line which joins the top header 21 of one end plate coil with the top headers 21 of the several intermediate plate coils and to one of the circulating embosses 28 of the other end plate coil (see Fig. 2).

A back plate coil I6 is formed in part by the upper portion of the Wall I8 and a back plate 3l,

the embossings t2 of which at diagonally oppo site corners are respectively connected to suction line 29 and to the connection it which joins suction line eli that passes through the heat exchanger i.

36 is a conection from the header 2l of one end plate coil to an expansion valve il which valve has a connection #it to the liquid line @i which passes through the heat exchanger 3b. it is the control bulb ot the expansion valve t?.

The cooling unit shown in Fig. 2 is sheathed with insulation ii on four sides (Figs. l and 3) and is drained via a drain pipe ft2 having a removable plug d'3.

A glass shield :i5 is provided adjacent the ex= posed iront edges of the plate coils 2b, Qi. which shield is spaced from the window glasses Ei as best shown in Fig. i.

By virtue ci the construction shown a dead air space is provided between the shield t6 and window glass 5.

Also the food chamber F to the level of the semi-ceiling contains cold air which is quiescent or substantially so until disturbed by the customer removing food packages. After the removal the cold air level soon becomes re-established and remains approximately quiescent until again disturbed by a customer.

A shelf 52 is adjustably held in the cooling unit in any approved way.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is thought the construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator of the class described wherein is provided an insulated case having a bottom, end walls, a back wall, a front wall with a transparent window and containing a food chamber: the improvement which comprises a cooling unit fitting within the food chamber and itself comprising plate-coil end walls. intermediste plate-coil partition walls, a bottom, a back wall and a front wall, an auxiliary plate coil on said back wall of the unit and extending a substantial distance above the same; aninsulated ceiling extending from the back wall of the case forwardly a substantial distance at a lower level than the top of the front wall of the case, and means for circulating a suitable .refrigerant through said plate coils.

2. In a refrigerator of the class described wherein is provided an insulated case having a bottom, end walls, aback wall, a front Wall with a transparent window and containing a food chamber: the improvement which comprises a cooling unit tting within the food chamber and itself comprising plate-coil end walls, intermediate plate-coil partition walls, a bottom, a back wall and a front wall, an auxiliary plate coil on said back wall of the unit and extending a substantial distance above the same and terminating at a substantially lower level than tho chamber: the improvement which comprises a cooling unit fitting within the food chamber and itself comprising plate-coil end walls, intermediate plate-coil partition walls, a bottom, a back wall and a iront wall, an auxiliary plate coil on said bach wall oi the unit and extending a substantial distance above the same and terminating at a substantially lower level than the front wall of the case; an insulated ceiling extending from the bach wall of the case forwardly a substantial distance at a lower level than the top o the iront wall. ci the case. and means for circulating a suitable refrigerant through' said plate coils, said auxiliary plate coil lying vertical and normal to the remaining plate coils and extending from one end wall ci the unit to the other end wail oi the same.

il. In a refrigerator of the class described wherein is provided an insulated case having a bottom, end wam, a baci: wall, a front wail with a transparent window and containing a food chamber: the improvement which comprises a cooling unit fitting within the food chamber and itself 'comprising plate-coil end walls, intermediate plate-coil partition walls, a bottom. a bacia wall and a iront wall, an auxiliary plate coli on said back wall of the unit and extending a substantial distance above the same vand terminaiting at a substantially lower level than the front wall of the case; an insulated ceiling extending from the back wall oi the case forwardly a substantial distance at a lower level than the top of the front Wall of the case, and means for circulating a suitable refrigerant through said plate coils, the front wall of said unit being of substantially less height than the height of said end and partition plate coils; and a transparent bafile located between said window and the portions of said end and partition plate coils adjacent to said window.

5. In a refrigerator of the class described wherein an open top case contains a food chamber, the case having a bottom, end walls. a back wall and a front wall, the front wall being provided in its upper portion with a transparent window: the improvement which comprises a cooling unit composed of a bottom. end plate coils, intermediate partition plate coils, a back wall of greater height than that of said end and partition plate coils, a front wail of substantially less height than that of said plate coils, an auxillary plate coil on the upper portion of the back wall of the unit and extending above said end and partition plate coils, all the aforesaid parts of the unit being integrally secured together and tted into the food chamber of the case, the transparent portion of the front wall extending above the level of the iront and back walls of the unit, means to circulate a refrigerant through said plate coils; and a semi-ceiling extending from the back wall of the case part way toward said window and at a lower level than the top of the front wall of the case.

6. In a refrigerator of the class described wherein an open top case contains a food chamber, lthe case having a bottom, end walls, a back wall and a front wall, the front wall being provided in its upper portion with a transparent window: the improvement which comprises a cooling unit composed of a bottom, end plate coils, intermediate partition plate coils, a back wall oi greater height than that of said end and partition plate coils, a front wall of substantially less height than that of said plate coils, an auxiliary plate coil on the upper portion of the back wall of the unit and extending above 8.. A refrigerator according to claim 1 wherein said end and partition plate coils. all the aforethe front wall o! the unit is of substantially less said parts of the unit being integrally secured height than the height of the end and partition together and ntted inte the rood chamber o! plate colla. and wherein a transparent baille 1s the case, the transparent portion of the iront 5 located bowoon the Window and the Portions of wall extending above the level o! the iront and said end and Dtition Plato oollS Whioh'ore adback walls of the unit, means to circulate a re`l jacent said window.

frlgerant through said plate coils; and a semi- 9. Areirlgeratol' ooooldinl to olim. 1 Whoren ceiling extending from the back wall ofthe case the Willian' Plate ooil on the blok of the unit part way toward sam window and at a lower 10 terminates at a substantially lower level than levelthan the top of the front wall of the case: the Pnt *nu 0! the me l and a transparent baille disposed between said 1 HUBERT W- HARDIN- window and the exposed portions oi the end and partition plate coils of said unit. v REFERENCES CITED` '7. A refrigerator ooolding to claim 1 wherein l5 The following references are oi' record in the a top chamber is provldedtgbovedsid cetilihng and ille of this patent: out of communication w sai ood amber. and wherein a suitable refrigeration heat inter- UNITED STATES PATENTS changer is located in said top chamber and op- Number Name Date eratively connected with said auxiliary plate coil zoI 2.207.586 Hill July 9, 1940 and one of said end plate coils. 2.430.329 Davis Nov. 4; 1947 

